This is homage to the late, great 106.3, which boomed from the Jersey Shore in the late 90s, weakening signal every mile, until it reached my home in New Providence, NJ and was accessible only in a remote corner of MS.com contributor Jeff O’Brien’s bedroom.

In a period of eclecticism rarely experienced, music lovers were inundated with such disparate choice on the radio. And nowhere was this more apparent than on 106.3, where Tori Amos might pop up next to Eric B. and Rakim, followed by a triumvirate of Massive Attack, Pixies, and Pavement. Granted, at that age (15-17), my music tastes were not impeccable (or rather the breadth of my music knowledge was par, at best), but even if I didn’t know who Stereolab was, the radio station stood for more than just the songs. With podcasts, playlists, and Internet and satellite radio, I may not even appreciate such a thing today, but its presence, before Napster and iPods, made that corner of the room magical (sometimes you had to balance the stereo outside the window) and made each mile on the trip to the shore more exciting as you were coming closer and closer to uninterrupted and unparalleled radio goodness.

Eric B. and Rakim: I Ain’t No Joke

Tori Amos: Silent All These Years

Matthew Sweet: Girlfriend

Tags: 106.1, New Jersey, Radio, Eric B, Rakim, Tori Amos, Matthew Sweet